Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Banks

1962 boxing match

Cassius Clay vs. Sonny Banks was a professional boxing match contested on February 10, 1962.^[1][2]

Background

Clay, who was a 5 to 1 favourite going into the bout, predicted a fourth round stoppage.^[3]

The fight

Clay won the fight through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round.

The event is remembered for being the first professional boxing match in which Ali was officially knocked down in the ring by his boxing opponent.^{[4][5][6][7][note 1]}

Aftermath

Speaking after the bout Clay said "As you know, I think that I'm the greatest and I'm not supposed to be on the floor, so I had to get up and put him on out, in four as I predicted."^{[9][10][11][12]}

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:^[13]

Broadcasting

Notes

1. Although it has gone down as a knockdown in the records, some commentators opine that Ali had slipped on water splashed in a corner during this fight.^[8]

References

1. "Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Banks". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
2. "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
3. "Clay Arrives In Town, Speaks Of Many Things". Sumter Daily Item. 5 February 1962. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
4. "Mississippi's Sonny Banks was the first pro boxer to knock down Muhammad Ali". Sun Herald. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
5. "Clay Predicts Early Knockout". Toledo Blade. 10 February 1962. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
6. "Cocky Clay finds Banks Tough Foe". The Spokesman Review. 12 February 1962. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
7. Ferdie Pacheco (2003). A View from the Corner. Birch Lane Press. pp. 61–4.
8. Stephen Brunt (2002). Facing Ali. The Lyons Press. p. 223.
9. Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Simon & Schuster. pp. 43–6.
10. David Remnick (1998). King of the World. Random House. pp. 121.
11. Felix Dennis; Don Atyeo (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. miramax books. p. 62.
12. "The Muhammad Ali I knew: A tribute by the late Bill Gallo". Daily News. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
13. "BoxRec - event".